Today tobacco farmers are turning to bulk curing at an increasing rate because in very simple terms bulk curing of tobacco is more efficient and perhaps even more important bulk curing of tobacco entails a system of handling tobacco that substantially reduces labor requirements as compared to the old "stick barn" method. While bulk curing was a very significant step in tobacco mechanization, there has been little, if any, progress in improving the method of loading and unloading conventional single tier bulk tobacco racks used in bulk tobacco curing systems.
The conventional single tier bulk tobacco rack comprises two sections adapted to be latched together with one rack section having a plurality of tines fixed to and projecting therefrom to penetrate a bulk volume of tobacco peripherally contained by the rack when latched together. Such bulk racks normally include a latching mechanism disposed on each end thereof, the latching mechanism operative to latch and hold the two rack sections together so as to support a bulk volume of tobacco therebetween.
Normally in loading a bulk rack, the tine section is separated from the other section which typically is an open generally U-shaped section. Green tobacco is placed within the open U-shaped section normally supported in an upright position by a horizontal surface. After a certain volume of tobacco is placed in the U-shaped section of the rack, the tine section is properly aligned with the U-shaped section and pressed downwardly into a latched relationship therewith. Because the tines must penetrate through the volume of tobacco, a substantial force is required to press the tine section into a latch relationship with the U-shaped section of the rack. Often in practice, it requires two individuals, one pushing down on each side of the tine section, to press the tine section of the rack through the bulk volume of tobacco and into a firm latched relationship with the bottom generally U-shaped section. It is often difficult to press the tine section downwardly far enough to achieve latching and after repeated unsuccessful attempts, this hand-pressing task tends to become very aggravating -- not to mention the effort and labor required in loading a large number of racks during a day.
Once the tobacco has been placed in the barns and cured and dried, the racks, of course, must be removed from the barn and unloaded with the tobacco being removed from the rack and placed in sheets or the like where the tobacco may be stored or transported to market. Like the rack loading operation described above, the unloading of the racks also requires substantial time, effort and labor. In particularly, each rack must be removed from the barn and to efficiently empty the barn the normal practice requires that at least two individuals be utilized to unlatch the racks and remove the tine section therefrom. In unloading the racks, a typical practice is for one individual to be stationed at each end of the rack and to unlatch the latching mechanism disposed at that respective end of the rack. Once unlatched, the two individuals can remove the tine section of the rack and as that section is being removed, it is necessary for each of the individuals to strip tobacco from the tines of the section being removed. In this stripping operation, the individual generally pulls and holds the rack with one hand while using the other hand to strip and push the tobacco stripped back down into the pile of tobacco generally held within the confines of the open generally U-shaped rack section. After the tobacco has been stripped from the tines and the tine section removed, the tobacco disposed in the open U-shaped rack may be removed therefrom and placed into sheets or the like for storage or transport to market.
It should also be pointed out that the total time required to empty a barn is often quite critical in a tobacco farming operation. This is because of two principal reasons. First, it is quite common for the farmer to empty the same barn or barns the same day that he plans to fill such barn or barns. This is because the farmer usually invests in only the minimum number of barns required to accommodate a given size crop, and during the peak harvesting season, he usually plans to harvest at a rate that will keep all of the barns filled all the time. Consequently, if the farmer is to unload a barn that is to be filled the same day, it follows that this must be done quickly and efficiently so that the harvesting operation can begin and the barn refilled. The second reason that time is very critical in unloading the racks and emptying a bulk tobacco barn is that the tobacco is in better "order" to handle in the early morning hours of the day. As the day grows longer, the tobacco tends to become drier, crispy and very difficult to handle without breaking and crumbling the tobacco leaves. Thus, it is quite important to unload the barn during the early morning hours when the tobacco leaf material is relatively soft due to the increased moisture content of the leaf during this part of the day.